The study of narrow channels has become a popular area of research since the discovery of carbon nanotubes by Sumio Ijima in 1991. Ijima found that carbon fibers, which were already known to exist, were in fact hollow. Part of the fullerene structural family (which also includes buckyballs), carbon nanotubes can be generally described as rolled-up sheets of graphite with diameters on the order of several nanometers (1 nm=10−9 m). There are two common types of carbon nanotubes: single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Single-walled carbon nanotubes consist of one rolled sheet of one-atom-thick graphite (called graphene). Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are made of concentric cylinders of graphene (e.g., a single-walled carbon nanotube within a larger single-walled carbon nanotube). Despite their small size, carbon nanotubes are known to exhibit remarkable strength and have other unexpected electrical and structural properties.
In recent years the study of fluid control in narrow channels has become a hot area of research. Current research has centered on microflow systems including liquid flows in narrow slit-pores, very thin liquid film on solid surfaces, flows in micropumps, microarrays and membranes. Although fluid flow dynamics in carbon nanotubes has been studied to some degree, research in this area has focused on: laser driven atomic transport using electric current which drives ions using drag forces (citation) and nano-pipette systems for dragging metal ions through a multi-walled CNT using electromigration forces. There is a need in the art for a new method of pumping non-ionic media on a nanoscale and micron scale.
Nanotubes have also been studied for their energy storage capabilities. Of particular importance is the issue of how to store and release hydrogen in a safe and practical manner. The energy storage capabilities of carbon nanotubes have been explored through the two forms of adsorption: chemisorption and physisorption. Adsorption, in general, is where a gas or liquid accumulates on the surface of a solid or liquid and forms a molecular or atomic film. Chemisorption is a form of adsorption where molecules attach to the surface of the carbon nanotube by forming a chemical bond. Physisorption is a form of adsorption where molecules adhere to the surface of the carbon nanotube only by weak intermolecular forces (Van der Waals forces). However, the chemisorption and physisorption methods of hydrogen storage are problematic because the release of hydrogen from the carbon nanotube structure is complicated. Proposed methods to release hydrogen from the carbon nanotube structure require very high temperatures and are thus unrealistic in application. There is a need in the art for a new hydrogen storage and release method and system.
A new method for storing and pumping media on a micro scale could have a significant effect on a wide range of technologies including but not limited to: direct methanol fuel cell development, hydrogen energetics, nano-robotics, nano-scale printing, atom optics, quantum computing, semiconductors, forensic and nucleotide analysis, chemical process control, cell biology, medical drug delivery, and molecular medicine.